A review by grumpyreading
The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan

dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

πŸ“š Review: The Three Lives of Cate Kay explored themes of grief, guilt, and love, from all of the characters. Written in many different perspectives, another common theme felt like ego, and the ways we seek out what we want and craft our lives around various expectations. 
I think that each character and part in this book had purpose, especially purpose for the protagonist, Cate and where she was at in her life when they came in, though I did have trouble connecting with the characters. I also felt that while there wasn’t necessarily a lot that happened, I understood and liked the story and why the things that did happen, happened. As a whole, it felt engrossing, and felt like a look into wanting to belong while wanting to stand out, and felt like a story about purpose and connection. I’d recommend this if you’re looking for a quick read that will pull you into the characters. 

See some quotes I loved below! 

β€œIt's like you hold me steady, but without holding me still."

β€œI'd been listening intently for her while watching the raindrops on the glass; the beads of liquid kept merging before I was prepared to lose them.”

β€œIn the many years since, I've thought of this memory as a blueprint that might help explain the life I constructed afterward.”

β€œWe're all so much more, and less, than our best, or worst, moment.” 

β€œI know you remember. I know everything we shared is threaded through you as it is me.” 

β€œA student told me last week that we speak five thousand words a day. Instantly you appeared next to me, giddy over this factoid, trying to do the math: okay, so let's say half our words are to each other, that's 2,500 multiplied by 365 days multiplied by-how many years have we been friends? I pictured you calculating the many millions of words between us. However many, they were hardly enough.” 

πŸ’« Rating: 3.5/5

πŸ‹β€πŸŸ©The Three Lives of Cate Kay was published January 7th, 2025! Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.πŸ‹β€πŸŸ©
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